CS:GO – Heroic coach HUNDEN will not sign new deal

Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen has announced that he will not be signing a new contract with Heroic, adding to speculation that the Dane will join Astralis next year. The 30-year-old broke the news on Wednesday, with the veteran having denied that he would share Heroic secrets with others following his departure.

It remains unclear as to when HUNDEN will depart Heroic, with the length of his current deal being unknown. However, with Astralis coach Danny “zonic” Sorensen leaving at the end of 2021, the timing of the announcement is almost certainly linked. HUNDEN missed the recent IEM Cologne, with the reason remaining unclear. Troels Robl and Kasper Straube stood in during the event.

What HUNDEN has said on his future

Speaking on his future, HUNDEN stated that: “In the past few months, I have been in negotiations with Heroic about a contract renewal, but I have come to the realization that I wish to begin a new chapter of my career once my contract with Heroic expires.”

HUNDEN was one of many coaches banned last year for their role in the coach spectating bug, however he remained with Heroic as an analyst, before acting as head coach from April 2020 onwards. While the Dane stated that he and Heroic was the “perfect match”, he admitted that “recent turn of events is deeply regrettable”. This follows speculation that HUNDEN had shared Heroic’s strats with other organizations.

HUNDEN denies any leaks

Addressing such rumors, HUNDEN stated that: “Recent rumors claim that I have shared Heroic’s stratbook. This I can categorically deny. I have the biggest respect for Heroic, and I would never want to harm the team or in any way affect them negatively. The material I have shared is anti-strat material of opponents. This material was shared with colleagues from other teams in the context of sparring.

Knowledge sharing is essential for me as a coach in respect to staying in the loop and developing. At no point in time has Heroic’s own tactics been shared or discussed.”

With HUNDEN on board, Heroic has won a host of events, including the ESL One Cologne Europe back in August last year, as well as the ESL Pro League Season 13 in April. Heroic are yet to make any statement on his future, while it remains to be seen how quickly a potential move to Astralis would materialize.